Prisoner of Birth CD
by Jeffrey Archer
published
March 7th 2008
by Macmillan Audio
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binding
Audio CD
isbn
0230701396
(isbn13: 9780230701397)
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 644)
Read in September, 2008
As a friend very rightly put it…’A Prisoner of Birth’ has all the makings of a Bollywood Masala Movie.
Danny Cartwright, a humble East-End mechanic has just proposed to his childhood sweet heart Beth. He decides to celebrate by treating his fiancée and best-friend Bernie Wilson (who also happens to be Beth’s brother) at an upmarket bar ‘The Dunlop Arms’. Also present at the bar, are a drunken party of four men, who started passing lewd comments at Beth and ...more
Danny Cartwright, a humble East-End mechanic has just proposed to his childhood sweet heart Beth. He decides to celebrate by treating his fiancée and best-friend Bernie Wilson (who also happens to be Beth’s brother) at an upmarket bar ‘The Dunlop Arms’. Also present at the bar, are a drunken party of four men, who started passing lewd comments at Beth and ...more
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Read in May, 2008
Well its hard to meet the readers' expectations if your first few books are "Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less", "Kane and Abel" & "As the Crow Flies".
I felt that though the plot is not something that would make one say ... wow! now that's a new one.
Its a slight parallel of the first book mentioned above from his early days as well as "The Count of Monte Cristo" (As Archer himself agrees in many of his interviews)
What I liked most is the p...more
I felt that though the plot is not something that would make one say ... wow! now that's a new one.
Its a slight parallel of the first book mentioned above from his early days as well as "The Count of Monte Cristo" (As Archer himself agrees in many of his interviews)
What I liked most is the p...more
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Read in March, 2008
Wow! I felt like a 13 year old reading the final installment of Harry Potter. Other than bathroom breaks and a quick dinner, I did not put this book down. Jeffrey Archer is a master with characters, twists and storys within storys. I am going to write a novel like this as soon as I can!
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Read in July, 2008
Archer is a proven story teller and this one did not disappoint. The story is about Danny. On the night he proposes to his girlfriend, Beth, they decide to meet up with Bernie, Beth’s brother, and Danny’s best friend, to celebrate. At the bar are four college friends who are celebrating a birthday and have had their fair share of wine and spirits. When one of them starts making nasty comments toward Beth which prompts Bernie and Danny to react, she decides to try get them out of there as...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
Court room Drama lovers,Fans of Prison break
I read the excerpt on his site and I liked it, wonder if its going to be a court-room drama.....it would be nice to see Archer touch that.....bought the "Only for Indian sub-continent" paperback two days ago, when I went to buy sheets of paper for university.....hoping to start reading it soon!
8th May 2008
I finished the book two days ago. It was a very engaging book. The flow of the narration is very smooth, u read on and when you look back you realize that you have read so m...more
8th May 2008
I finished the book two days ago. It was a very engaging book. The flow of the narration is very smooth, u read on and when you look back you realize that you have read so m...more
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Read in July, 2008
recommended to Causeways by:
Dad
There are books that I like for the writing, and books that I like for the story -- this book is definitely in the latter category. Archer's writing style is fine, although he has a couple of habits that made me a little twitchy (his constant use of foreshadowing, and also his love of the obvious metaphor). The story, though. SUCH an awesome story. My mom kept calling this "the British Shawshank Redemption," which isn't the comparison I'd make -- it is a prison story, and it...more
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This book has the best cast of characters next only to Kane and Abel...amazingly written are the scenes involving the trial of Danny Cartwright...and the prison cell that he shares with Sir Nicholas Moncrieff(who is in more ways than one...Danny's confidante,friend ,philosopher and guide) and Big Al( who is another person Danny can always count on).Danny himself is an intriguing character ...but the character I'm in love with:) is Alex Redmayne...I love his arguments and principles and amazing l...more
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Read in June, 2008
recommends it for:
Shawshank Redemptionist Anglophiles
I'm not done reading this yet, but it's wonderful.
Archer has a a lot of literary gifts, but his gift for language is just wonderful. His characters are described not only by their physical features and personality, they're also described in depth by their language. You could simply know a character here by reading his language. Big Al, a Glaswegian inmate, has absolutely perfect Glaswegian vernacular. As a native-born Glaswegian, I want to put down the book, call up my mum to chat and ...more
Archer has a a lot of literary gifts, but his gift for language is just wonderful. His characters are described not only by their physical features and personality, they're also described in depth by their language. You could simply know a character here by reading his language. Big Al, a Glaswegian inmate, has absolutely perfect Glaswegian vernacular. As a native-born Glaswegian, I want to put down the book, call up my mum to chat and ...more
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Read in March, 2008
Another winner by Jeffrey Archer. I have only read one of the Prison Diaries, but you can certainly see how he got the original idea, and then how he developed it. Knowing he lived part of this life, makes it better--it's not all fiction. The book jacket gives the teaser of a surprise ending, and it was that. It even made me think of the psychological impact the whole experience would have made to that character's life. I am trying to not give it away.
Anyone who wants a quick, mildly tho...more
Anyone who wants a quick, mildly tho...more
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A modern day version of "The Count of Monte Cristo."
I enjoyed this book, but the part of the story that told how the main character gained the fortune he needed to extract his revenge took a little longer than I liked. Once back on track, however, the story regained its intrigue.
Did like learning about the Swiss Banking system and stamp collecting. Funny, the last book I read also dealt with rare stamp collections (The Plague of Doves). A complete coincidence but I find that ha...more
I enjoyed this book, but the part of the story that told how the main character gained the fortune he needed to extract his revenge took a little longer than I liked. Once back on track, however, the story regained its intrigue.
Did like learning about the Swiss Banking system and stamp collecting. Funny, the last book I read also dealt with rare stamp collections (The Plague of Doves). A complete coincidence but I find that ha...more
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I gave this book 5 stars because it has no violence, no sex, no bad language and is a good, entertaining story. Thank you, Mr. Archer. The book is a modern version of The Count of Monte Cristo, which I also very much enjoyed. If you know that latter book you will know the basic plot of A Prisoner of Birth. I doubt it will become the classic that Mr. Dumas' book is, but for modern readers who know something about land speculation, Swiss bankers, prison paroles, wills, stamp collections and the le...more
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Read in July, 2008
I didn't actually read this book, we listened to the audio version to and from our trip to Lake Tahoe -- we all loved it! It made the trip go by so fast and I actually stayed awake the entire time, which I am sure is a first in the 40 years I've been making that long drive! It is kind of a modern day version of "The Count of Monte Cristo" -- a great read! ( or listen!) Jeffrey
Archer is great at developing characters you love and hate and he tells a great story. We all hated to see...more
Archer is great at developing characters you love and hate and he tells a great story. We all hated to see...more
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Read in March, 2008
I was disappointed with the Prisoner Diaries series but this is the Jeffrey Archer who wrote Cane and Able. It was excellent, I could not put it down! About two brothers who decide to keep the details about a murder, which was accidental, quiet. This comes out when one brother, who is a lawyer finds himself in a difficult situation with the other brother, who is basically a loser. Lots of moral issues to deal with. Only negative was trying to translate what some of the english terms were....as i...more
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Read in July, 2008
A modern re-telling of "The Count of Monte Cristo" is an excellent read, once you get past the trial which puts our hero behind bars. This is the first Jeffrey Archer book I've read, and you know what? I may read another. Got turned on to this via a video on the WSJ - they interviewed the author, and the hook which made me purchase the book was the author's curious story of actually being imprisoned (tax evasion in England??). Thick book, but again, get into the meat of the story, a...more
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Read in April, 2008
Jeffrey is back with a bang. Its definitely in the league of Kane & Abel and Not a penny more, Not a Penny Less.
For a change Jeffrey does not span through several generations this time. The whole book has a time span of less than 5 years, but boy! a hell of a five years I must say.
The only disappointment I felt after reading the book was that it was over :), something which I clearly remember feeling after completely Kane and Abel as well.
I highly recommend this one to one and al...more
For a change Jeffrey does not span through several generations this time. The whole book has a time span of less than 5 years, but boy! a hell of a five years I must say.
The only disappointment I felt after reading the book was that it was over :), something which I clearly remember feeling after completely Kane and Abel as well.
I highly recommend this one to one and al...more
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Read in July, 2008
recommends it for:
People who like Archer and legal thrillers and crime capers
This was a medium good Archer. The book started out well and got flabby in the middle. The courtroom scene toward the end was vintage Archer and superb! This book had an inordinate amount of typographical errors which certainly took away from the reading experience. It also made the book seem like it was a rush job. A typical Archer type story about wrong and injustice and eventual vindication for he victim. Archer is a master at creating plots that are informative as well as surprising.
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Read in April, 2008
This is my first Jeffrey Archer book and I couldn't put it down. It has lots of elements of The Count of Monte Cristo and would be a great read alike for fans of that book. It deals with elements of the British legal system (some of the questioning is really engaging as you try to figure out what the lawyers are going for), life in jail,the way Swiss banks operate and is just a complicated adventure that leaves lots of room for the reader's imagination. A great Y/A read.
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Read in April, 2008
I used to read Jeffrey Archer books all the time and was happy to find this on the library shelf. It is the story of a young English man who is falsely accused of murdering his best friend and the subsequent events that try to prove his innocence. There is a bit of improbability to the plot that made me give it a three star instead of four star rating...there again, my unimaginative nature coming into play! But I would recommend it as an enjoyable read.
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A typical Archer book bringing forth an everyday hero who plans someone's downfall with exemplary ingenuity.
In the lines of "If tomorrow comes" where a regular person is thrown in prison for a crime he or she did not commit. Fortune favors the innocent in all Archer books after 10 chapters into it. Same here. Chapter 11 on the revenge takes shape and good prevails over evil as the main protagonist gets even with the real culprits.
In the lines of "If tomorrow comes" where a regular person is thrown in prison for a crime he or she did not commit. Fortune favors the innocent in all Archer books after 10 chapters into it. Same here. Chapter 11 on the revenge takes shape and good prevails over evil as the main protagonist gets even with the real culprits.
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Read in April, 2008
There I was, thoroughly enjoying the first half -- great story telling, well detailed prison scenes obviously drawn from Archer's own experience -- and then there was a plot twist that was SO BOGUS that I just stopped reading. Some of the other reviewers describe it as "a bit of a stretch." Remember the movie "Dave?" Two guys who look exactly alike, and one of them's the President? THAT was a bit of a stretch. This was freakin' nuts.
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